I gave unprotected oral to a guy exactly five weeks ago. He said he was "clean" when I asked, but I didn't ask how he knew (ie when he'd last been tested). He'd recently spent several months in a country with high HIV prevailence.

One week later I started feeling sick, as I was dealing with either a cold, flu, or serious allergies. But by week three post exposure I also had headaches, little appetite, and sore lymph nodes (especially under my arm pit). My main problem is that I've been feeling very tired and a little bit dizzy all the time.

No problem, just dealing with the cold, flu, allergy thing, right? And one week would have been too soon for ARS too. But...

At the end of week five I also have oral thrush and hives/rash on my back, chest, and around my face. Plus I'm still really fatigued all the time. I had taken some antibiotics for a sinus infection, and both the thrush and rash could be a side effect of that. But I'm really scared.

It's a little bit early to take a rapid hiv test, but I'd like to take one tomorrow after the five-week mark.

I never want to take a risk like that again, and I didn't really mean to in the first place (I only gave for about 30 secs before I stopped because it felt wrong, I was really drunk). I think I had an open sore in my mouth though, which adds to my worry.

My heart goes out to everyone who's had to wait for results after a scary encounter. It goes out to those who come out positive, to those who come out negative, and to those who help people living with virus.

I know it isn't the end of the world if it comes back pos, but I've just fallen in love (really) and don't want to start this way.I know that the odds of being infected are less than 1 in 4000 or something, but you never know... I don't want to be posting on the "Just tested positive" board after this.

Your risk would be extremely low as far as HIV is concerned. However, in terms of other STD's, you may have put yourself at potential risk. I donít think testing is warranted, however, you may choose to get tested; there is no harm in doing that.

Symptoms should be used as a tool to diagnose your status. Having said that, the symptoms you experience might not qualify for ' classical ARS symptoms'. It is imperative to engage in safe sex unless itís a monogamous relationship.

I thought that Iíd follow-up on my original post, perhaps it could give a few other people a little reassurance.

Last May I put myself in a low-risk situation. Although I knew that it was unlikely I had HIV, there wasnít an ARS symptom that I didnít have. I worried everyday that I was spending the rest of my life with the health condition known as HIV.

I didnít have easy access to HIV testing, so after about six months I finally ordered the homehealthtest HIV-1 kit. A few days later, I had the fortunate relief of receiving a negative result.

It turned out that much of my troubling health problems were related to a time when I was anemic. I have since made some lifestyle changes that have increased my general health, and am also glad to be in a healthy relationship. Looking back, I think that much of my worry stemmed from a feeling of guilt from the risky encounter.

Iím sorry if any of the language I used in my original post was offensive. I was very scared and had trouble thinking beyond my worries. For that I apologize. However, I did want to take a moment on Worlds AIDS day to remember how having an unknown HIV status had affected my life, and how important it is that everyone has access to testing, treatment, and counseling.

As I thought about the possibility of living with HIV, I was reassured to know that I would have access to drugs and treatments that would allow me to live a full and normal life. Sadly, I know that is not the case for many people in the world, and I pledge to support organizations and individuals that reach to them. I encourage anyone who is worried about their status to be tested, but also to support the effort to reduce AIDS around the world.

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